Two points from a possible twelve against the likes of Brentford, West Ham, Chelsea and Leicester City would be seen very disappointing. Crystal Palace came into the season with high hopes after the transformation under Oliver Glasner at the back end of last season.
Palace won six of their last seven matches last campaign and the feeling was they would be able to take that into the new season, instead it has been quite the opposite.
Many will point towards the sale of Michael Olise being the reason for the poor form, which has definitely played its part because Olise will go on to be one of the best wingers in the world. However, his departure does not suddenly make Palace a bad team, there have been individual errors and other mistakes in key areas resulting in goals being given away.
What is it Glasner needs to change to relight the spark in SE25?
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A summer of ins and outs
Not only did Olise leave this summer Palace also saw nine other first team members depart whilst bringing in seven, so the squad turnover was high. Having a high amount of departures and incomings will take time to gel especially when four of the new faces arrived on deadline day. This is down to Glasner to integrate them now and have them adjust to the system he plays.
The weekend saw Maxence Lacroix and Eddie Nketiah start the game to make their debuts and both had solid games. Lacroix could have been slightly closer to Marc Guehi on the first goal to make the pass over the top to Jamie Vardy harder, but overall it was a tidy performance.
Losing such a key figure in Joachim Andersen over the summer would have been a blow to Palace although financially it may have been the right thing to do. He was a leader in the back line and had a great understanding with Guehi, who will now need to form a partnership with Lacroix instead.
Then there was the decision to sell Sam Johnstone to Wolves for around £10 million, which again from a financial standpoint may seem like good business considering Palace signed the England international for free. Johnstone did not want to stay after being named backup to Dean Henderson but some would argue the former West Brom man was the better of the two.
Jordan Ayew was another to depart which saw them bring in around £5 million for the 33-year-old, but all these players were key figures and well liked members of the team, replacing them was always going to be difficult and needed to be given time.
The incomings of Daichi Kamada and Ismaila Sarr to accommodate the burden left by Olise will be seen as underwhelming, but Palace were never going to find a like-for-like replacement. Chadi Riad is still only 21 and has just one season of professional football under his belt, whilst the deadline day singings of Nketiah, Lacroix, Trevor Chalobah and Matt Turner are still finding their feet in new surroundings.
Patience will be needed after a busy summer but it won't be long till serious questions are asked of this Palace team who on paper seem to be underperforming.
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Missing that zip and cutting edge
At the end of last season you saw a real zip about Palace's play, quick interchanges between the front three, Adam Wharton in midfield breaking up play and displaying excellent passes between the lines and a back three which were as solid as any.
This has not been the case this season, Palace look slower on the ball, are not creating as many opportunities, and when they do they aren't clinical enough. Nketiah looked bright on his debut where he was played in the right 'ten' position, Glasner has said that Nketiah is a very smart player who is able to play many positions. Once he is up to speed with more minutes then there are certainly goals to come from the former Arsenal man, but he will need to get there sooner rather than later.
Palace were also devastating in transition in the last seven games of 2023/24, now it is slow and sluggish. In the game against Leicester Ebere Eze received the ball in space around halfway and Tyrick Mitchell had made a run down the left-hand side. Instead of playing the pass out to the wing-back, Eze took too long and as a result the moment had gone and the move broke down.
Where Palace had been so strong on the counter is now where they seem weakest. In both the Brentford and West Ham games they were caught on the counter attack which lead to goals, both coming down the Palace left when Mitchell had been high up the pitch. The same happened against Leicester, Palace lost the ball in midfield when Jean-Philippe Mateta's pass was played behind Wharton, alllowing Wilfried Ndidi to take possession and play a ball over the top for Jamie Vardy to finish.
Moments like that did not happen last season, or if they did on the rare occasion Palace were quick to put it right. Wharton looks tired and slow which is understandable after coming straight into the Palace team after his move from Blackburn Rovers in January, along with a summer away on international duty. Cheick Doucoure is returning from an Achilles injury which has kept him out since November 2023. The Malian was given his first start in the league since that injury against Leicester, and it will take time for him to get back to his best.
Small individual mistakes are costing Palace at the moment because they are not playing that bad, it is just the minor detail both for and against which are having bigger consequences. It may not be something to worry about just yet but if it carries on then alarm bells will start ringing, but they have a manager who notoriously starts seasons slow and builds throughout, and we are only four games in right now so there is a long way to go.
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What needs to change to move forward?
Palace have been competitive in every game they have played this season ,and with a bit of luck some results may have gone their way. If the referee waits another second before blowing his whistle after Eze's free kick against Brentford that game may have been very different, which could have had an effect on the games following.
Fine margins are determining games for Glasner's side at the moment so there isn't too much that needs to change. Finding a balance will be key and working a way to hold up defensive transitions is what the Eagles manager will be focusing on. His side have been cut open far too easy this season and it is meaning they need to come from behind to get anything from games.
In their six wins to end last season Palace were fast starters scoring five goals in the opening 15 minutes of these games, taking it to their opponents and getting themselves on top early. This needs to start happening again if their form is to turn around and figuring out their ideal starting eleven will also be important.
Palace's back line has been chopped and changed all season, the midfield two has seen Wharton been paired with Doucoure, Will Hughes and at times Jefferson Lerma. The same is said about the front three, where we have seen the right sided ten be occupied by Odsonne Edouard (who has since moved to Leicester on loan) Ayew, Kamada and Nketiah. There needs to be some consistency in this line up for the new and existing players to build partnerships and understand each other.
It could be one win that changes the spirits of everyone at Crystal Palace and kick starts their season but that league win needs to come sooner rather than later, starting with Manchester United at home on Saturday.
